God Is My Co-Pirate:I'd just like to take this moment to give a special "fark you" to the old crone who came up to me while I was with my daughter in a café and hissed, "I hope that's breast milk in that bottle."

This is one of the situations in life where "go fark yourself, biatch" is not only an acceptable response, it's actually the preferred one.

What IS it with some people? Yes, breast milk is better than formula, especially for the first few months. But for fark's sake, there's a hundred different reasons why you might see a stranger giving formula to their kid. And in the final analysis, guess what -- even if it's because they're being "selfish" -- it's none of your farking business! Sure, if you see them diluting the formula with vodak, that might be worth a mention to the appropriate authorities, but "using baby formula" is not child abuse, and bothering a stranger (who may have a perfect medical reason for bottle feeding) about it is simply reprehensible.

My daughter breast-fed from my wife for quite a while. My son weaned himself at 6 months. Weaned HIMSELF. So should my wife have intentionally withheld anything but breastmilk from a child who was so active, and growing so fast, that he simply needed more food? And how would that be less "cruel" than formula feeding?

There are multiple sides to this issue. My sister in law's due date is in May. She's already told us that she has no intention of breastfeeding because she doesn't want her stupid-looking fake titties to become "ugly". My sister-in-law is an idiot who should have been sterilized at puberty, but that's a whole other issue. At this moment in time, and for women in this culture, you can choose to bottle-feed, and it's "fine". Not optimal, but "fine" We don't get to insist that other people raise their children perfectly, If so, Honey Boo Boo would be a reality CRIME show.

God Is My Co-Pirate:I'd just like to take this moment to give a special "fark you" to the old crone who came up to me while I was with my daughter in a café and hissed, "I hope that's breast milk in that bottle."

I almost throat punched the woman who came up when our son was born and threw down the guilt gauntlet to my wife for using formula.

Yes lady, my wife takes medication for her mental health and without that medication she might pose a danger to herself and others but because proven science on formula must be bunk she should threaten the health of herself and baby just to give my son breast milk.

God Is My Co-Pirate:I'd just like to take this moment to give a special "fark you" to the old crone who came up to me while I was with my daughter in a café and hissed, "I hope that's breast milk in that bottle."

One of my friends is still dealing with guilt issues about breastfeeding, and her kid is almost 18 months. She was on FB worrying about her supply and I'm like, "Your snowflake is walking, talking and eating whatever she can stuff in her gob. It's about time to just put the titty away and get on with your life." Of course, I didn't actually post that comment.

Altair:Could someone explain this nonsense to a 30 yr old stoner with no kids? Please don't make me Google breast feeding news.

People who are better and smarter than other people are sometimes so munificent that they will take time out of their busy lives to coach and encourage their less intelligent and awesome peers (if you could even call them that) as to how they should be living their lives.

For some reason, people view this with scorn and offence; they should really be thanking their magnanimous betters. I guess that's what you get when you point out some Plebeians' failures to them.

theorellior:One of my friends is still dealing with guilt issues about breastfeeding, and her kid is almost 18 months. She was on FB worrying about her supply and I'm like, "Your snowflake is walking, talking and eating whatever she can stuff in her gob. It's about time to just put the titty away and get on with your life." Of course, I didn't actually post that comment.

God Is My Co-Pirate:I'd just like to take this moment to give a special "fark you" to the old crone who came up to me while I was with my daughter in a café and hissed, "I hope that's breast milk in that bottle."

Did you retort with something along the lines of, "And I hope you don't verbally judge every random stranger you encounter you miserable biatch."

God Is My Co-Pirate:I'd just like to take this moment to give a special "fark you" to the old crone who came up to me while I was with my daughter in a café and hissed, "I hope that's breast milk in that bottle."

Anyways, came to say something similar about my sister and her kid.Also, when I was a babe, I was allergic to my mom's milk. I was allergic to formula. And a slew of other crap they tried. They finally found that soy milk worked for me, but this was before strangers found it acceptable to to get on people's case about breast feeding.

God Is My Co-Pirate:I'd just like to take this moment to give a special "fark you" to the old crone who came up to me while I was with my daughter in a café and hissed, "I hope that's breast milk in that bottle."

Respond with, "Me too... I found the bottle on the floor of the bus on the ride over..."

theorellior:One of my friends is still dealing with guilt issues about breastfeeding, and her kid is almost 18 months. She was on FB worrying about her supply and I'm like, "Your snowflake is walking, talking and eating whatever she can stuff in her gob. It's about time to just put the titty away and get on with your life." Of course, I didn't actually post that comment.

We ended at 6 months. It was a good run. We supplemented with formula all the time. I stayed home the first summer and when I ran out of my wife's milk in the freezer, I mixed formula. I'm fat and have manboobs but that won't cut it, ya know?

She had numerous problems with latching and pumping early on as well. Got her really upset, which is understandable. I never had anybody say anything to us but, by god, I would have went all internet tough guy on them. Unless I'm feeding my kid a beer with a nipple attached, STFU.

It beats me why anyone who could breast feed would chose formula. Breast is free and there's no faffing about with sterilisation, carrying stuff around, getting supplies and so on. That said, there are lots of perfectly good reasons for not being able to breast feed, and in those cases you're hardly going to let the kid starve to death.

stonicus:God Is My Co-Pirate: I'd just like to take this moment to give a special "fark you" to the old crone who came up to me while I was with my daughter in a café and hissed, "I hope that's breast milk in that bottle."

Respond with, "Me too... I found the bottle on the floor of the bus on the ride over..."

Or, "As long as the airport security guards think it is, Allah willing"...

My wife had no desire what-so-ever to breastfeed our daughter, so we opted for formula. Guess what? She's turned out great (so far, but we're not to the teen years yet...that I'll blame entirely on formula when the time comes). She's ridiculously tall, smart as a whip and a kind, gentle soul. But thanks to the giant douchebags both in real life and on the internet who militantly insist on breast feeding for all, my wife had to struggle with a couple of months of guilt over the whole thing (on top of mildpostpartum depression). So thanks for that, breast feeding busybodies! This isdefinitely one area where there needs to be a lot more STFU and mind your own business.

When I was in a Wal Mart in Central Florida (let that sink in for a while) a woman with three filthy children started talking to me. My friend, who was one of those "Awww...babies" types, asked how old the littlest one was. Answer. 8 months. I asked what was in the bottle. Answer: root beer.

Rev.K:Altair: Could someone explain this nonsense to a 30 yr old stoner with no kids? Please don't make me Google breast feeding news.

There are people who advocate breastfeeding at any cost, despite the numerous problems that can occur with breastfeeding like not producing enough milk to feed your baby, problems with latching, etc.

Add to that the stress and sleep deprivation of a newborn and bottle feeding is simply what some parents have to do to get by.

The "Breastapo" as it were, looks down on and vilifies these people as bad parents or lazy or both.

/2 kids

For what it's worth, I saw two different lactation consultants after my first was born and neither was anti-formula in my situation (I was eventually able to breastfeed anyway but formula was needed in the interim). It's not usually the experts who are the breastapo - it's ignorant people with no sense of compassion for others.

What was the article talking about with the whole shortage thing? Is this something that's going to start happening in the US?

orbister:It beats me why anyone who could breast feed would chose formula. Breast is free and there's no faffing about with sterilisation, carrying stuff around, getting supplies and so on. That said, there are lots of perfectly good reasons for not being able to breast feed, and in those cases you're hardly going to let the kid starve to death.

sometimes the woman, who's been waiting 9 months to drink a beer or smoke a joint, just wants to unwind every once in a while without endangering baby.

Well, she is actually a friend IRL, and I don't want to be an asshole. And I've seen a small but nonzero percentage of my female acquaintances struggle with "mommy brain", so a lot of her freakout is hormonal. Hopefully once she weans the kid she'll calm down. Of course, there's always the chance she'll keep breastfeeding until puberty.

orbister:It beats me why anyone who could breast feed would chose formula. Breast is free and there's no faffing about with sterilisation, carrying stuff around, getting supplies and so on. That said, there are lots of perfectly good reasons for not being able to breast feed, and in those cases you're hardly going to let the kid starve to death.

She's not choosing formula, she's breastfeeding but using formula for the couple night feeds so her husband can do them because small babies eat all the time.

I don't know where this huge brigade of net nannies or whatever she's finding is coming from. Of course breastfeeding is preferred, every knows that, but if you occasionally use a bottle, so what?Or some people can't produce enough milk,or some kids are adopted and probably a few other things.She seems to be guilting herself. I don't go on the net and read columns daily about "Breastfeed all the time, you terrible mom", and have never heard it come up in public. Then again, maybe if I had a kid, these things would start popping up on me?

Altair:Could someone explain this nonsense to a 30 yr old stoner with no kids? Please don't make me Google breast feeding news.

People who don't have much going for them will define themselves by whatever they can do right and feel good about. For some people, it's model trains. For others, it's breastfeeding. For me, it's fixing computers. (I'm not good for much else.) Within each specialty, there's usually a vocal minority who only barely tolerate the existence of other people who either lack their "talent," or disagree vehemently about the specifics. (Ever see a blog rant about stupid old people that can't use computers? Or about dumb people who don't use keyboard shortcuts?)

Mostly it's insecurity - if somebody else disagrees with me on the best way to do XYZ, I could interpret that as disapproval on their part of the methods I've been using. (No, dude, a digital signal is a digital signal - gold plated connectors on a SPDIF don't matter.)

I don't know who is annoying, the people who freak out at women who can't breastfeed or the ones who can't breastfeed who write crabby online articles. "Eww, you're a lazy biatch because you used formula!" "Eww, you're a stuck up biatch because I couldn't breastfeed!"

As a newborn, I was losing weight while being breastfed. My parents told me what the problem was (allergy, lack of supply, etc.), but I don't remember what it was. As soon as my parents switched me to formula, I started gaining weight and quickly caught up with other kids my age. My mother caught a lot of shiat for making the switch, particularly from her mother-in-law, but the alternative was letting me starve to death.

dahmers love zombie:God Is My Co-Pirate: I'd just like to take this moment to give a special "fark you" to the old crone who came up to me while I was with my daughter in a café and hissed, "I hope that's breast milk in that bottle."

This is one of the situations in life where "go fark yourself, biatch" is not only an acceptable response, it's actually the preferred one.

What IS it with some people? Yes, breast milk is better than formula, especially for the first few months. But for fark's sake, there's a hundred different reasons why you might see a stranger giving formula to their kid. And in the final analysis, guess what -- even if it's because they're being "selfish" -- it's none of your farking business! Sure, if you see them diluting the formula with vodak, that might be worth a mention to the appropriate authorities, but "using baby formula" is not child abuse, and bothering a stranger (who may have a perfect medical reason for bottle feeding) about it is simply reprehensible.

My daughter breast-fed from my wife for quite a while. My son weaned himself at 6 months. Weaned HIMSELF. So should my wife have intentionally withheld anything but breastmilk from a child who was so active, and growing so fast, that he simply needed more food? And how would that be less "cruel" than formula feeding?

There are multiple sides to this issue. My sister in law's due date is in May. She's already told us that she has no intention of breastfeeding because she doesn't want her stupid-looking fake titties to become "ugly". My sister-in-law is an idiot who should have been sterilized at puberty, but that's a whole other issue. At this moment in time, and for women in this culture, you can choose to bottle-feed, and it's "fine". Not optimal, but "fine" We don't get to insist that other people raise their children perfectly, If so, Honey Boo Boo would be a reality CRIME show.

OK, done babbling. Hopefully this will be an amusing thread.

THIS^^^^^^

Many people do try to be a little helpful with advice, sure, so take most of the kind-hearted comments with grace. But the mean-spirited ones, like the old crone in the article? "FARK OFF BIATCH" is a perfectly reasonable response.

New moms are nervous, so just settle down and don't make the goofs of the world bother you.

octopied: I don't go on the net and read columns daily about "Breastfeed all the time, you terrible mom", and have never heard it come up in public. Then again, maybe if I had a kid, these things would start popping up on me?

Oh yeah, the sheer volume of unsolicited (and mostly unwelcome) advice you received when people find out you (or your wife, in my case) are expecting is breathtaking. Apparently raising kids is like driving; lots of people who participate think of themselves as experts while they view everyone else around them trying to do the same thing as incompetent morons doing it all wrong.

dahmers love zombie:stonicus: God Is My Co-Pirate: I'd just like to take this moment to give a special "fark you" to the old crone who came up to me while I was with my daughter in a café and hissed, "I hope that's breast milk in that bottle."

Respond with, "Me too... I found the bottle on the floor of the bus on the ride over..."

Or, "As long as the airport security guards think it is, Allah willing"...

HA!

Also a WTF to the lactation consultant who told me off for supplementing with formula, saying very snottily, "You do realize that will make her sleep more, don't you?"

Lady, don't tempt me. She hadn't slept, unless held upright in my arms, for six straight weeks. I had bleeding nipples and PPD. I was this close to selling her to the gypsies.

This is what makes the WIC Program and the infant formula companies "strange bedfellows" in the U.S. The nutritionists preach "Breast is Best," but the alternative provided is a one-year supply of free top shelf "artificial baby milk."

/Yes, I know that there are practical reasons for a woman to chose bottle over breast

You definitely should breastfeed babies for the first six months. But it's not my business if you don't, and I'd never say a word about it to a stranger (or a friend for that matter). Stupid is as stupid does, and more dumb people just makes those of us with brains a little better off.

SoupJohnB:This is what makes the WIC Program and the infant formula companies "strange bedfellows" in the U.S. The nutritionists preach "Breast is Best," but the alternative provided is a one-year supply of free top shelf "artificial baby milk."

/Yes, I know that there are practical reasons for a woman to chose bottle over breast

They provide additional grocery benefits to women who breastfeed. Not a dollar to dollar equivalency, bbut formula is ridiculously expensive, so really you'll come out ahead if you're breastfeeding. The other side of that is why you'll also see people trying to sell formula on the resale market.

A guy I worked was in the grocery line buying formula for his young-un. The lady behind him started going on about how breast milk is soooo much better for the baby. He turned around an looked her in the eye and said "My wife just died...thanks."

Why didn't the lady in TFA supplement? Sounds like she went whole hog (cow?) on the formula.Either way it's her business and kudos to her for breastfeeding in the first place. Apparently it is not as easy for some as everyone would have you believe. We got really lucky with our kids, but even so we used formula sometimes...and we live near the epicenter of the La Leche League of Doom! Man, those people are straight up CRAZY! They really think you should breastfeed your kids until they are like 6 or something....they were in a local parade and it was just creepy

octopied:I don't go on the net and read columns daily about "Breastfeed all the time, you terrible mom", and have never heard it come up in public

It's not said in exactly those words, but in a "peer-pressure/bullying/guilting" way.

You take vulnerable, scared people who want the absolute best for their child, bombard them with the message that "breast is best" and list all the wonderful benefits of breast milk vs formula, and add in people who cannot talk about formula without snearing, and you've got "Breastfeed all the time, you terrible mom"

It's like the organisations that are in charge of pushing breast feeding are afraid that if they admit that formula happens, then no one will breast feed at all.

/no kids//don't like seeing people in emotional distress because breast feeding isn't working out.